Can I ride your horse?

[dacasodivine]

I’ve heard of this happening but never had someone ask that. Until recently. I started working through a temp company and the very first day at a new job mentioned I have horses. Someone asked if they could come ride. I told her I don’t have beginner friendly horses. She told me she can ride, her uncle has a ranch. She used to ride this beautiful brown horse with a black mane and tail. I had to make them both sound a little crazy to get her to back off.

Now a friend has put me in that same position. I posted that I had a great ride today and she responded she should come ride one day. I responded that I wish she could but my horses are not beginner friendly.

“Oh, I know how to ride. I haven’t ridden since 1987 at the beach (rental horse) but I can ride.”

I once again had to make my horses out to be crazy. They aren’t but they aren’t suitable for beginners either.

I know using the word “beginner” is the wrong word. How do you phrase that so the person who rode a pony once when they were 5 and thinks they can ride, can’t ride your horse?

And while I’m on the semi rant, why do people think it’s okay to come ride your horse? They don’t ask if they can come play with your new dog or drive your car.

[HPFarmette]

Sometimes I avoid talking about my horse life in certain settings. I guess you can’t always do that.

[pluvinel]

Just say they regularly run off with riders and buck them off, so you wouldn’t want to be responsible.

[Bravestrom]

I just say no one rides my horse and that my sons feel the same way - it is also a liability issue.

[HJalter123]

Someone at work asked me if they could bring one of their kids out to the barn to see my horse and maybe sit on it. I replied that I would be happy to show them my horse, but that anything beyond that might present a liability issue for the barn owner. problem solved.

[TheHotSensitiveType]

Will you let me know when you figure it out?!?

Even better is someone I knew wanted to ride my horse, was experienced, yada yada, but my horses are not very big and well there are horses out there that could carry her just fine but mine were not those horses. Yeah, that would have gone over like a ton of bricks… I lied and said my horses were crazy and a liability to have others ride.

[stolen_virtue]

I did let someone’s daughter ride my horse once. She was a very good friend from when Mr. Stolen and I lived in Oregon. She really wanted her daughter and neice to be able to ride my horse and my horse is pretty easy to ride. Her daughter and her neice came to ride, her daughter she said rode in France every summer. Yes, my horse became agitated and nearly ran off-in an enclosed ring-with her daughter. In the mom’s panic she confessed that her daughter was a terrible rider !

Luckily my guy is pretty good with voice commands so he came over to me and she got off. The neice had ridden first and she was a western rider but handled the saddle and bridle difference really well and she had a great time and was able to walk, trot and canter very well.

edited to add: I have let people’s children (little under 9) come and ride my older guy since I know he enjoys it from my own children and is very good at it. We just walk and the parents sign the liability form for the barn. My baby OTTB, I couldn’t do that with him yet.

Would I do it again, no. Lesson learned.

[BarbB]

Years ago I had a ‘friend’ from work just show up to ride my horse.
What he was expecting was some sort of docile rental string horse.
My horse was an OTTB, 17h who was a sweetheart around most people, but he recognized someone who didn’t know horses.
He made himself about 22h tall and snorted a lot. I handed this idiot a halter and after a minute he handed it back.
I enjoyed that one but most of the time you have to be a lot firmer about just say no.
And I have never understood people who volunteer to ride my horse. Why don’t they volunteer to clean my house? At least that would be useful.

[Trixie]

“I’m sorry, but my insurance doesn’t cover anyone but me to ride my horses.”

Ugh.

[red_mares]

I worked with a guy who kept suggesting that his 6 yr old autistic son should come out and ride my horse, despite my frequent tales of near death experiences with her.

I had a picture of her standing tacked up in side reins in her stall prior to a ride. She looked positively evil. Once I showed him that - no more talk of little Johnny riding!

[JohnDeere]

Tell them you have a crazy breed of horse. Pick one–Greater Antilles Devil Horse or Arab or something–and tell him they take 5 years to even be able to brush them. Take a picture of someone on a bucking bronc and say its you and your horse.

Crazy horse sounds like a good way to get rid of them.

BTW its not only horses. A coworker is getting a place with a pool. Other coworker said her whole family (kids) would come over on weekends and hang out. All. weekend.

Uh no.

[Hampton_Bay]

With the mare, I tell them I don’t let anyone I haven’t seen ride get on her because she will bolt before your butt hits the saddle with someone she thinks isn’t up to her criteria. With my gelding, he can buck like a rodeo horse. With the filly, she’s too young.

If anyone persists, which they really don’t do after those stories, I dig a bit deeper to make them sound crazy. Also, around here saying “helmet or no ride” will get most of them to run the other direction screaming. My horse, my rules, and you will be wearing a brain bucket on my horse. Period.

[LauraKY]

No is a complete sentence.

[paulaedwina]

Someone asked me if she could ride my horse. I asked her if she could ride and she said no. I was really subtle about it.

“BWHAHAHAHAHA, girl, that’s like asking someone to teach you to drive stick on their Porche!”

She understood and laughed.

Paula

[SAcres]

Usually I go with “sorry he isn’t beginner friendly”. If they persist, “well he bucks sometimes”. If they’re telling me tales of how they’ve ridden this horse and that, “ok fine but you have to sign a paper that says when you break your neck it’s your fault”. The last one has stopped everyone so far.

[tnscvaga]

@Trixie;6228676

“I’m sorry, but my insurance doesn’t cover anyone but me to ride my horses.”

This. It’s an easy answer and the truth. Most people completely understand. In fact sometimes you can see the light bulb and then the, “oh yeah I never thought of that”. I then suggest a couple of local lesson barns especially if it’s a parent asking for kid.

[Wayside]

I love to tell people the story of how I bought my horse for next to nothing after her previous owner got thrown off and broke her back. Miraculously, I don’t seem to have any of the types of problem the rest of you do with people asking to ride my horse. :winkgrin: :lol:

[GotGait]

Everyone where I work thinks my horse is a racehorse even though my desk photos show my husband towering over her. I don’t even know why they think I ride racehorses, but I don’t correct them.
No one ever asks to ride my “racehorse”.

[jetsmom]

I just tell them “Oh Dear, I’m so sorry, but he is a show horse in training, so no one else is allowed to ride him”.

[dacasodivine]

I think I will go with the insurance thing. I think people will understand that better.

With strangers it’s easy to convince them the horses are crazy. With friends, it’s a little harder. I frequently post on Facebook about my great rides. And they are great rides. One horses is an Arabian and is high energy and the other is a Fox Trotter mix who is only 5 and has his naughty moments. He is also high energy. Usually I don’t post about anything naughty just that I had a great ride with a good friend or something like that.

Makes it a little harder to convince someone they are crazy. I just told my friend that one horse will take off at a dead run given half a chance (true) and the Arabian can spook 10 feet sideways. She can but rarely does.